Germany has signed a contract for additional Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles to support the Bundeswehr’s combat aircraft.
MBDA said the order was placed through the Meteor Integrated Joint Programme Office on behalf of Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support, continuing Berlin’s participation in the long-running multinational missile programme.
The latest contract follows earlier German orders for Meteor and comes after what MBDA described as a year of further testing and investment activity across the programme in 2025. Eric Béranger, Chief Executive Officer of MBDA, said the decision reflected sustained confidence in the missile and the collaborative model behind it.
“METEOR is a defining example of the strength of multinational collaboration in delivering world-leading defence capabilities,” he said. “This latest contract from Germany, one of the missile’s development partners, reflects continued confidence in a programme that unites cutting-edge technologies from six European nations, through a unique partnership led by MBDA, to deliver a common decisive military capability.”
He added: “In 2025, we saw another successful year for METEOR, as nations continued to invest in its air dominance and secure the sovereignty of their airspaces.”
Meteor is developed through a European consortium led by MBDA, with Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden participating in the programme. The missile uses a solid-fuel, variable-flow ducted rocket motor manufactured in Germany by MBDA subsidiary Bayern-Chemie.
According to the company, the ramjet propulsion system allows Meteor to maintain thrust throughout its flight, contributing to what it describes as a larger “no escape zone” compared with many conventional air-to-air missiles. The missile is currently integrated on several frontline combat aircraft types, including Typhoon, Rafale and Gripen, and is also planned for use on South Korea’s KF-21 Boramae.
MBDA said 2025 also saw continued progress on Meteor integration with the F-35 programme. This included a first flight on the F-35B variant and ground testing ahead of a first flight on the F-35A. In November 2025, the Brazilian Air Force confirmed a successful test firing of Meteor from its F-39E Gripen fighters, which the company said demonstrated the missile’s contribution to national air defence capabilities.
“Germany orders” and we do nothing, it sort of sounds familiar ! I just hope they remember which direction to point their weapons 🤔
Seems there is only one NATO member we have to worry about which way their missiles are pointing.
Germany is rapidly becoming our best ally
Actually we did pretty well pre 1904 dealing with Germany and Prussia as our principal ally. That won us the war of Spanish succession, the seven years war and the napoleonic wars.
That’s 3 to 2 for Germany 😀
The KGL used to be one of the best units of the British Army. After the BAOR maybe it’s time for Germany to institute the EBL (Englische Bundes Legion)
Indeed much of our greatest successes occurred with German involvement, helped Imperial expansion that’s for sure. They may have gone off the rails first half of the last Century but then the US has done a lot of evil over its existence but unlike Germany it got to re-write the history just as Trump was trying in his woefully erratic speech today at Davos. He is falling apart in front of our eyes. Hopefully people noticed the following (even if Farage clearly didn’t) 1) the ‘no one defends property unless they own it’ meme which actually means the US owning Greenland makes us more vulnerable as there will be no connection to European ‘property’ at all any longer to have to ‘defend’. 2) It’s, if defence has anything at all to do with it (arguable) about his mythical ‘Golden Dome’ which likely will never be effective but ensures he has no need to defend Europe only North America will be protected even if he pressed another lie (which Farage mindlessly parroted) that Europe would be better protected too. 3) He more than once said Iceland rather than Greenland which knowing what we know with Trump would only happen because that Country has likely cropped up in his planning meetings too and that will be next on his list to give his undersea ‘Golden Cup’ any chance of stopping Russian, or in his mind Chinese submarines from threatening his North Atlantic Hegemony. No doubt they can do what they like East of it. But of course to really make that work the Faroes would be handy and if only they had Ireland or Scotland or at least the Shetlands. And the trouble is with the latter technically they are still part of Norway if only Norway pays the outstanding dowry. We know of course that Trump now has it in for Norway refusing to give him the Nobel Peace Prize and seemed to threaten reprisals for that, makes ya think. Now all that sounds fanciful, well beyond Iceland and the Faroes anyway but then I thought Greenland was 6 months back. Longer term it might be even more extreme Republican Presidents who took actions like that but Newsome is right Trump and MAGA generally only respect power plays, another thing he let slip today when when talking about ‘big powers’ ie meaning US, Russia and China and his priority to my mind is splitting those last two be damned the effect on the little people.
Thing is that the security architecture of Europe must be rebuild. A group of Benelux, scandinavians, UK, France and Germany is probably the best starting point.
All the countries Trump is talking action against. We can all it the Anti Trump League 😀
No Trumps Club
Germany is ordering more because their orders to date have been paltry…same with France.
The RAF ordered a decent number originally, likely more than all the other users combined. RAF also have AIM-120D-3…
It was a similar story with Asraam. The UK order was for over 2,500. That was more missiles than all the original purchasers of IRIS-T (Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden) bought….
The UK has always been very good at purchasing decent numbers of complex weapons…you can see the orders for Storm Shadow/SCALP for another example.
Meanwhile down under – Australia has been approved as the first international customer for the AIM 260 (the longer range successor to the AIM 120 AMRAAM). The $2.6 billion deal will see the RAAF acquire 450 AIM 260.
Though first deliveries are not scheduled until 2033!! At least the Orange One should have been prised out of the White House by then and the US may have regained something of a reputation as a trustworthy supplier.
Unfortunately for MBDA this almost certainly rules out sales of the Meteor to the RAAF. Although if MBDA can complete integration on the F35A soonish and things were to get more serious in the SCS an order for Meteor might be good strategic hedge.
Amazing how they managed to rush through the AIM-260 on to the integration program, when Meteor was already in the que.